


The Scent of Roses, Jasmines, and Sandalwood

by Fangirlshrewt97



Series: Nile Freeman's Guide to Down Time with Immortal Warriors [7]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Basically our three immortal ladies spend some quality time together and get some pampering done, F/F, Family Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Massage, Spa Day, Spa Treatments, Team Bonding, Team as Family, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26285722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlshrewt97/pseuds/Fangirlshrewt97
Summary: The day of their spa retreat, Nile gave them a through rundown of their schedule, with both woman wearing the same stony, grim expressions they wore before they entered a building they usually only left after dying twice in the process. Nile sighed, sending up a last minute prayer to God that the day could close with no bloodshed and everyone involved went home with the same number of digits and limbs they had started with.Aka: Nile wants a break between missions and decides to make the most of a couple spare days in between. And drags Andy and Quynh with her.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Nile Freeman, Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Quynh | Noriko & Nile Freeman, Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Nile Freeman & Quynh | Noriko
Series: Nile Freeman's Guide to Down Time with Immortal Warriors [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851712
Comments: 30
Kudos: 202





	The Scent of Roses, Jasmines, and Sandalwood

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Reader,
> 
> As I was writing this story, all I could think of was the fact that I never envisioned that this series would be as popular as it is. Reading your comments fuels me to write like nothing else can, and I have several stories planned. If you have any other ideas for ways the teams can bond (any dynamics work, but I am going be keeping Nile single/ the series won't contain any smut), please let me know in the comments!  
> I feel like I am building my own little universe which is just a really cool feeling. As usual, these stories can all be read as stand alone or as part of the series.  
> I would like to shout out to @CodenameFinlandia for the suggestion for this particular story which was not the next one I was planning on writing but the one that came the easiest.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please let me know with kudos/comments (which can include keyboard smashes, one word comments, or favorite lines!)  
> The story is not beta'd, so all errors are my own.  
> Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, I am just borrowing them temporarily. Any similarities to real life are entirely coincidental!
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Fangirlshrewt97

Nile worked her way through all the swears she knew, first in English, then all the others she had picked up from the others. Why was it always the supposedly easy missions that went so spectacularly sideways. God help her, if Andy suggested they come back to this part of the world again in the next decade, Nile would strangle her with her bare hands.

“Son of a -” Nile bit off as the chunk of mud finally fell out of her hair.

Copley had let them know of a small handoff between a slippery arms dealer and a human trafficking ring spokesperson would be taking place in two days in the jungles of Sumatra. Andy had told the boys to stay on guard and be prepared to be back up, but only taken Quynh and Nile with her. The idea had been that the three women were in Thailand and close at hand anyways whereas the boys would need to travel in from Europe which would take up time. And all of Copley’s information suggested the two groups were paranoid enough about the meeting to limit the number of people who knew about the deal to a small handful, which would be easy for three immortal warriors to handle. Not to mention the deal was happening was to happen within the next two days.

She had been half right, they had successfully dealt with all the players, and also managed to get their hands on a hard drive that Copley could pass on to Interpol to take care of the human trafficking ring. What they had failed to fully take into account was the deal taking place in the middle of monsoon season in a rainforest, and had been half blinded by the rain, which had put both sides at a disadvantage. While the immortals managed to win, Nile had also ended up getting killed and being pushed into a giant lake of mud during the fight at one point. In the few hours between fighting and returning to their hotel room in Medan, the mud seemed to have become embedded beneath their skin.

While led to Nile’s current predicament, sitting in a tub of water that had long grown cold and brown, hair free of braids, scratching at her skull to get rid of the mud till it felt like her nails had been worn down to their nail beds. She was tired, her hands felt like they were going to fall off, the last time she had slept was nearly 40 hours ago, and she still had a thin layer of mud clinging to her hair. Nile had had a second of insanity where she thought to grab a razor and just shave herself bald, but she loved her hair too much.

So: Andy had to die. Or at least do whatever Nile asked of her for the next few years.

Nile scrubbed at her hair for another ten minutes, feeling tears rising to her eyes due to a combination of exhaustion and frustration before she opened the plug to let the tub drain. She turned on the shower, watching the water turn brown as they pooled over the drain, and just stood until she felt like she was going to fall asleep standing up. Turning off the water, Nile wrapped herself in a towel and stepped into her room. At least Andy had tuned into enough of her mood to make sure she got a separate room.

Dragging herself to her duffle bag, she removed a tank top and sleep shorts, quickly drying herself and changing into it. She debated whether she was hungry enough to spend the energy to go to Andy and Quynh’s room to ask about food before deciding that no. She wanted sleep more.

Decision made, she slid under the covers of the bed, moaning at how she sunk into the bed, asleep before her head fully hit the pillow.

///

Nile startled upright, her Glock already in her hand with the safety off before she realized it was Quynh at the door. She dropped the gun on the bedside table and exhaled heavily, getting her breath back to normal as Quynh closed the door, coming close. When close enough, Quynh ran a hand over Nile’s head before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Sleep well Cưng à?” she asked softly.

“Like the dead.” Nile rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”

Quynh snorted, making Nile smile. “The next morning, you slept through the night. Andy came to wake you, but decided to let you be.”

Nile’s eyes widened slightly. “Damn. I was tired, but I didn’t realize I was that tired. What about you two? How did you sleep?”

“Hmm. Tired but not enough to go without food. You missed dinner.” Quynh said, moving her hand to cup Nile’s cheek, making the younger woman lean into the touch.

“I debated between sleep and food, and sleep won.”

“It often does. But you cannot keep skipping meals. Now come, Andy brought some food back.”

Nile sighed and nodded. “Ok. Let me brush my teeth, and I’ll be there.”

“See you soon.” Quynh told her, patting the cheek she was cupping before stepping back.

“Thanks Quynh.”

When Quynh left the room, Nile dropped back into bed with a groan. Interlocking her fingers, she pushed them as far away from her body as she could, letting out a sigh at the pain pleasure of the joints cracking. She arched her back to work out the muscles in her back before getting out of bed and heading into the bathroom.

///

Quynh might have undersold facts when she said Andy brought some food, because when Nile entered their room, the small table in the corner was practically overflowing with take out boxes, the smell overwhelming. Unconsciously, her feet carried her to the table, stomach rumbling in anticipation.

“Someone is hungry.” Quynh teased as she brought a place from somewhere, placing it in Nile’s hands.

Nile blushed. “Seems so. What’s for brunch?”

Quynh hummed as she delicately opened the boxes. “Have you ever had ayam bakar Taliwang?”

“Ayam what?”

Quynh smiled pulling the box from the pile. “It is Indonesian grilled chicken. It’s good. Here.”

Nile handed over her plate, and saw Quynh taking the contents out of the box… “Is that a whole chicken?”

Quynh nodded. “Chicken here are much smaller than in the states. Here have this first.”

Nile took her plate back and pulled out one of the chairs tucked into the table. She sat herself as Quynh perused the boxes before removing one and placing the contents on a second plate she had apparently materialized from the air.

“What’s that?”

“Nasi goreng. Fried rice.”

Nile nodded her head and took a bite of her food, nearly moaning as the rich spices hit her tongue. She did not miss the smirk on Quynh’s face. “It’s good.” she said, pointing at the food.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Quynh chastised before returning to her own food. “I’m glad you like it.”

///

Andy joined them as they were finishing up lunch, grabbing a couple boxes and eating straight out of them. Between the three of them, they made their way through the pile of food until it was significantly smaller.

She gave them a run down of the post-mission happenings, explaining how Copley had made contact with his person inside Interpol. That woman was able to decrypt the drive enough to locate more of the threads that made up the ring, and Copley had been hopeful that the ring would be dismantled in the next month without further intervention from them.

Nile had cheered, at least getting covered in mud had not been for nothing.

“So, what’s next boss?” she asked Andy.

Andy shrugged. “I told the boys to stand down, and Copley doesn’t have any pressing missions for us just yet, so it’s up to us.”

“Are we staying in Sumatra?” Quynh asked as she drank her tea.

“If you want.”

Nile pulled out her phone and started to type something, drawing the attention of the two older women.

“What are you up to?” Andy asked, lightly kicking Nile’s ankle.

“My scalp is itching and feeling like a hundred ants are still crawling on it, which means that despite being in the shower for nearly two hours yesterday, I still have mud in there. I am trying to find a salon, because I need professional help at this point.”

“I don’t know if you’ll find the type of salons you are used to here kid.” Andy remarked as she finished her food, taking all the empty boxes and stacking them to throw away.

Nile made a wounded noise when Andy’s prediction proved to be true. 

“Sorry Nile. Can we do it?” Quynh asked.

Nile was still mournfully looking at her phone. “You’ve never done hair like mine before, it isn’t like yours.”

“You could teach us?”

Nile shook her head. “It’s fine, I’ll just wash it again today and put it in a couple of simple braids. I’ll sort it out when we get to a country that can take care of my hair.”

When Quynh gave her the sad eyes, she quirked her lips. “I promise to teach you about my hair care when we are out of here.”

“Copley said the soonest he can arrange for transport out of here is in three days time.” Andy chimed in.

Nile sank further into the chair. “This sucks.”

Quynh patted her knee sympathetically.

Nile’s head lolled to looked at her phone which was still dangling from her fingers before sitting upright with an excited gasp.

“What?” Andy asked, tensing for a fight.

Nile’s eyes nearly glittered in their excitement.

“Have you guys ever had a professional massage?”

///

It had taken a bit more blackmail and a little less begging than Nile had anticipated to get Andy and Quynh to agree to come with her to a day spa. Well, with Andy she had had to agree to deal with all their contacts for the next six missions, because even though Andy liked to know every mission inside out, dealing the civilians was terrible. And Quynh was not sent out to deal with people after the one time they let her go and ended up having to race across the Czech border because Quynh had stabbed the guy with a fork. And then jumped out the window. That mission had been a disaster start to finish to be honest.

Besides, Andy owed her for her hair.

Quynh had been a little easier to convince, but she had also made clear that if the masseuse got a little to handsy, they would lose their hands. Nile had blanched and told them that they would only be seeing professionals. Just in case Nile had called ahead to the spa and let them know they had a preference for female masseuses if possible, and to let them do it all together if possible. No need to add potential mistaken groping to the list of reasons the two might stab someone.

The day of their spa retreat, Nile gave them a through rundown of their schedule, with both woman wearing the same stony, grim expressions they wore before they entered a building they usually only left after dying twice in the process. Nile sighed, sending up a last minute prayer to God that the day could close with no bloodshed and everyone involved went home with the same number of digits and limbs they had started with.

The lady at the reception had been very cheerful, even in the face of Andy and Quynh’s resigned expressions, which Nile tried to distract from by giving them a good elbow to the side. She directed them to the lounge area, telling them to wait a few minutes while they prepared everything. Andy started to march towards the bar, only for Nile to yank her back by pulling hard on her jacket.

“No alcohol, I am already preparing for the inevitable moment when you threaten the poor employees of this place with bodily harm. I don’t need to deal with an intoxicated you as well.” she had hissed. “Now, we are here to relax, stop looking like we are headed for the gallows.”

Andy had started to argue, only for Quynh to rest a hand on her forearm and whisper something in her ear that had the eldest backing down. Nile wiped a hand down her face and reminded herself that she was also not allowed to have alcohol till they left this place. Her mini bar in her room on the other hand, had better be full. 

They ordered club soda and idly watched the tennis game playing on TV until the hostess came to get them, leading them to a locker room. The three women stripped down to their underwear, slipping into the bathrobes provided by the spa. Nile breathed out a sigh of relief when Quynh and Andy made good on their promise to leave all weapons they may be carrying in the lockers. Once done, the hostess led them to a private room set up with three beds laying side by side, a white sheet on top of them.

“The masseuses will be here shortly, so if you don’t mind, you can remove your robes and lay on the beds, and you can use the sheets to cover yourselves. If at any point the ladies touch somewhere you don’t feel comfortable, let them know, they will stop.” she explained.

Nile nodded and removed her robe, hanging it on a nearby hook before taking the bed farthest from the door. There were some battles that you needed to know not to fight. She removed the sheet, wrapping it around middle before lying on her back on the table, with Andy and Quynh following her example, Quynh in the middle and Andy closest to the door.

The hostess bowed and left, only for the masseuses to enter right behind her. All three were local women, and they had polite smiles on their faces. The friendliest of them approached them and introduced herself.

“Hello, and welcome to the Golden Lotus Health and Wellness Spa. My name is Melati, and these are my collegues Amisha, and Farah.” Melati said.

Nile smiled. “Hi Melati. My name is Nicole, and these are my friends Uyen and Mandy.” She introduced with the fake identities Copley had made for them for the mission.

Melati nodded her head once. “Hello Nicole. So, have you all ever had a full body massage before?”

Nile shook her head. “Nope. We are here on a company trip, and thought we’d try it out.”

Melati smiled. “Then we will make sure to satisfy you. The process is simple. My friends and I will start at your feet and work our way upwards, and then we will ask you to turn on your stomachs and repeat the process. There will be pain if there is a lot of tension, so it is best if you relax.” She must have seen how her words made Quynh and Andy tense because she turned toward them. “I can understand that it might be scary to leave yourselves so vulnerable, so if you do get uncomfortable or need a break, just let us know, and we will stop.”

The words seemed to assure them a bit as they untensed a little.

“Well ladies, just lie back and enjoy then.” Melati exclaimed before coming to stand by Nile’s feet while Amisha went to Quynh and Farah went to Andy.

Nile saw her friends sizing them up and resisted the urge to throw something at them. “Uyen, Mandy!” she called sharply, making them look at her. Then to be safe, she continued in French. “Relax, it will be fun. Please don’t hurt them.”

Quynh nodded and sank into the bed, hands visibly unclenching. Andy had to take a few deep breaths before she also let herself sink into the bed.

Melati watched all this with a small smile and approached Nile. “Let me guess, this was not their idea.”

“It was like dragging cats into a bathtub.” Nile grumbled, making Melati laugh, her dark brown eyes twinkly.

“Well, your friends are in good hands, literally.” Melati said, winking, which made Nile giggle and settle herself. “Now, we usually use oils during the massage, do you have a preference?”

“Not really, you can choose.” Nile said, making the masseuse smile. She walked to the wall cabinet at the end of the room, choosing a few bottles and bringing them to Nile to choose from, passing a couple to her colleagues.

After choosing a nice sandalwood oil for herself, and roses and jasmine for the other two, Nile relaxed into the bed, closing her eyes and letting the ambient music surround her. She tensed at the first touch of hands to her feet, but Melati just pressed her palms flat on them till Nile relaxed.

What followed were two hours of the closest Nile had ever felt to heaven, and she would be willing to say in public it felt better than a few orgasms she had had too. Though they had still been tense at first, Andy and Quynh had eventually let themselves relax as the three masseuses pressed their thumbs and hands and sometimes even elbows into muscles the immortals hadn’t even realized they had, seemingly releasing the tension of centuries from them. Nile would have almost been embarrassed by the chorus of groans and moans in the room if she had not been lost inside her head.

By the time Melati finished massaging her head, Nile was convinced her brain had melted out of her ears into a puddle, nearly asleep.

“Nicole?” Melati called, laying a light hand on her shoulder. “Nicole? Are you with me?”

“Mmhmmm,” Nile answered, words still beyond her.

Melati’s next words were full of laughter. “Thank you for the compliment to my skill. It is time for your manicures and pedicures.”

Nile groaned before giving a half nod, summoning non-existent strength to push herself up and swing herself to stand beside the table, nearly falling on her ass if not for Melati holding her. Melati passed her her robe. “Thanks. I think you worked a couple decades worth of out of me.”

Melati smiled. “You’re welcome. Now come, I’ll show you the hot baths you can sit in to wake yourselves.”

When Nile looked over to her friends, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep her cackle from bursting out. Both women were standing now with dazed expressions on their feet, though they seemed to be on steadier feet than her.

They let themselves be led into the steam room, gently lowering themselves into the pool until the water lapped their calves.

It took a few minutes for Nile’s brain to fully come back to her. “So, how was the massage?”

“It was a revelation.” Quynh said while Andy let out a strangled noise.

This time, Nile let herself cackle, even though it earned her Andy nearly dunking her into the pool. Washing up quickly, the three women put on their robes again and went back to the massage room, this time empty save for Melati, who was putting away the oil bottles.

“Ah, there you are ladies. Feeling refreshed?”

“Much.” Quynh answered. “Thank you.”

Melati smiled. “Just doing my job. Now come, time for some more pampering.”

///

She led them to an adjacent room where there were a row of chairs two of the walls while a wall divider was erected from the farthest wall. Amisha and Farah were already there and beckoned them to the stations they had set up. The room had two other occupants, an older lady who looked to be in her mid-fifties, a face mask in place as another employee worked on her feet.

The three immortals settled into the cushy chairs, following the directions of the spa workers to dunk their feet into the water tubs. At one point, the hostess came in to ask how they were enjoying the spa, bringing complementary club sodas with her before leaving.

Amisha and Farah were quiet, but Melati stuck up a conversation with Nile, asking her about her fake job and how she had been enjoying her business trip so far, and if this was her first time in the country. Nile gave her as vague of answers as possible, with just enough of truth to satisfy her before turning her questioning on her.

Andy and Quynh were slightly better with the pedicures than the manicures, though both had tensed at the sight of a nail file. If Nile had to guess, she would not be surprised to learn this was the first time a nail file had been used on them for its intended purpose.

All in all, the day was a much bigger success than Nile had anticipated. No one had lost any body parts or suffered any major trauma, and Andy and Quynh seemed to walk lighter than Nile could ever remember seeing them. They all left a generous tip to their masseuses, Nile making a mental note to ask Copley to make up some scholarship for Melati. Nile had only known her for an afternoon, and could see the girl was bright. She had talked about her dreams of one day opening her own salon, and about earning a business degree. Nile had more money than she knew what to do with, and this seemed like a great way to spend it.

Andy and Quynh took Nile to a hole in the wall restaurant that ended up serving some of the best fish Nile had ever had, making them laugh. Sated with a full stomach, and a relaxed body, the sleepiness had hit her out of the blue, making her stumble as they walked back to the hotel. Quynh had grasped her forearm to keep her from falling before slipping her fingers into Nile’s hand, bringing her to lean against her side while her other arm rested on Andy’s elbow.

She did not release Nile even once they got to their floor, dragging her into her and Andy’s room instead.

“Quynh, my room is next door.” Nile sighed, but didn’t fight when the older woman bent to remove her sneakers.

“Spend the night here kid, we don’t feel like letting you out of our sight just yet.” Andy rumbled from one side as she sat next to Nile, cupping the back of her neck to press a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you for today. It was wonderful.”

Nile gave her a sleepy smile, body already getting heavier as she leaned more of her weight on Andy. “I knew you’d have fun.”

A kiss was pressed to her cheek. “Yes you did, Cưng à, yes you did.”

The two women manhandled her into the center of the bed before bracketing her on either side.

Nile fell asleep to the sounds of them talking above her head, nose filling with the scent of roses, jasmines, and sandalwood mixing in the air.

**Author's Note:**

> Cưng à - According to the internet, this is a Vietnamese catch-all term of endearment that can be used between family, friends, or partners. If I am using it incorrectly, please let me know!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this entry, and if you did, please let me know, reading your comments makes me so happy!  
> And finally, if you want to come chat, you can find me at fangirlshrewt97.tumblr.com!


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